Business mailers are often formed from one-piece intermediate forms that are imaged and/or printed with confidential information, as well as include checks, coupons, cards and other attachments, that are confidential or personal in nature, and require reliable sealing to ensure a secure mailer is formed for distribution through, for instance, the U.S. Postal Service. One-piece intermediate forms often include specific patterns of adhesive or cohesive that must be in a particular alignment during formation of the mailer such that certain attachments may adhere to and be contained within the mailer and to permit the sealing of the intermediate form during processing to produce a mailer. Such an intermediate form may be a sheet fed from a stack of sheets into imaging and other processing device. Alternatively, such an intermediate form may include a section of a continuous web or sheet of a multiple of intermediate forms that is supplied, for instance, as a continuous feed into imaging and other processing devices and thereafter is cut or otherwise removed from the web or sheet to form an individual intermediate form for configuration into a sealed mailer. Such a web or sheet of multiple intermediate forms is often provided in a roll configuration or form. Whether the intermediate forms are supplied as a stack of sheets or as a web or sheet in roll form, patterns of adhesive or cohesive disposed along the opposing surfaces of the intermediate forms often contact one another causing blocking during feeding operations. Therefore, placing patterns of adhesive or cohesive along one surface of intermediate forms at positions alternating from positions of patterns of adhesive or cohesive along an opposite surface of intermediate forms helps to prevent overlap or contact of patterns when the intermediate forms are stacked or are in roll form. In this manner, feeding problems associated with intermediate forms adhering to one another, or “blocking”, are eliminated or minimized or reduced.
In addition, during winding or rewinding of a web or sheet of multiple intermediate forms into a roll form, pressure applied along the roll is typically substantially along tear-off strips, which are defined between side edges of an intermediate form and longitudinal lines of weakness extending from a top end edge to a bottom end edge of the intermediate form. Patterns of adhesive or cohesive are typically disposed along the tear-off strips of an intermediate form to seal the form as a business mailer and to permit an end-user to open the sealed mailer by removing or tearing the tear-off strips from the sealed mailer along the lines of weakness. As a result of winding and rewinding a web, the portions of the web along the side edges, or the tear-off strips in the roll form, are relatively thicker such that continuous winding of thicker portions onto thicker portions causes the roll form to “dish”, or, in other words, to shift to the left or to the right between winds of the roll form. This result can also cause problems during feeding operations.
Also, in the event of any sideways tension applied along the roll form, such as when the roll form is on a skid during shipping, patterns of adhesive or cohesive disposed along the side edges of the intermediate forms in the roll form, so-called “pressure points”, are created during winding causing the roll form to “dish” along its edges or to shift to the left or to the right.
The business form intermediates of the present invention help to eliminate or to at least minimize or reduce such problems associated with forming business mailers, as well as provide additional features and benefits.